National Plant a Flower Day

Today, March 12, is National Plant a Flower Day. With the weather warming up and the days lengthening, it’s a great time to plant a flower in the garden.

Flowers need a lot of things to grow well. They need good soil. They need sunlight (but not too much sunlight). They need water (but not too much water). There are all sorts of bugs, pests and animals that would love to turn your garden into a buffet. Despite this, we still plant our flowers. We wait for winter to turn to spring to plant bulbs in the ground in hopes that a kaleidoscope of colors will emerge. Many of us listen to gardening shows on the radio or join garden clubs to learn just a little more about caring for our flowers.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus points out the beauty of the flowers in the field:

“[W]hy do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you — you of little faith?”

Matthew 6:28-30, NIV

What Jesus does here is called “making an argument from the lesser to the greater.” The beauty of a flower fades after a season but humans are eternal beings. Jesus says that if God is content to care for such small, insignificant plants how much more can we count on Him to take care of us!

In your prayers today, ask God to open your eyes to the beauty of small things around you. Be reminded of His care for these small things and also for you.